[quote=FlyerInHi]In a precious interview, the acting navy secretary admitted that the fired the captain to preempt Trump from do so himself. Moldy also told a colleague.

Acting Navy secretary Thomas Modly, in an extensive interview about the firing of the commander of a disease-threatened aircraft carrier, said he acted because he believed the captain was “panicking” under pressure — and wanted to make the move himself, before President Trump ordered the captain’s dismissal.
“I didn’t want to get into a decision where the president would feel that he had to intervene because the Navy couldn’t be decisive,”

https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2020/04/05/acting-navy-chief-fired-crozier-panicking-before-trump-might-intervene/%5B/quote%5D
Key sentence highlighted…. said by Modly, who it seems can not handle pressure.. and trying to ‘blame’ someone as justification for their action instead of simply stating that the captain violated proceedure.. etc. What is ironic here is that Modly is claiming in part that he fired the Captain because it looked to him like the captain was “panicking”, when in actuality – with your previous reference included – that it was actually Modly panicking and trying to cover his ass.

I suspect that Modly might have actually wanted to prevent Trump from firing his own ass! President Trump already had a replacement (“Kenneth Braithwaite”) lined up for replacing Modly.. just waiting to get him confirm by the Senate — which was supported by the previous reference you gave.

I have seen VPs and Directors in companies do exactly what Modly has done in an attempt to cover their butt for a bad decision or a series of bad decisions — and try to deflect the CEO from firing their own butt.